Farewell Loci

At times it seems we feel a great darkness in our hearts when a very bright light suddenly goes out. One such light was our beloved Loci. He lived a long and very happy life with us, and yet it still feels like he left us much too soon. On April 26, 2024, our dear Loci passed on to be with his ancestors. We will miss his bright and shining soul and the joy he brought to all of our lives.

Loci was rescued as a puppy, just shy of 6 months old. He had very poor vision when he arrived, and though it improved a bit once he was at the sanctuary with proper diet and care, he was still a bit nearsighted throughout his life, though this never seemed to phase him.

Loci was open and loving right from the start and greeted everyone he met with a smiling happy prance and an open joyous grin. In his youth he was playful and mischievous, often attempting to sneak away with a stolen item from his caretakers. Though he was more mellow later in life, his love and friendliness persisted. He was charismatic on tours and would often be the first to start howling during a tour, encouraging wolves all around the sanctuary to join in. We will greatly miss hearing his deep, sonorous voice.

Loci was friendly with wolves and humans alike. He had several packmates over the years and though he changed companions a few times, he was always open to making new friends. He spent his early years as part of a larger pack, though this ended up not being the best environment for him since his poor eyesight led to him getting picked on. He then spent several years with his first love, Cheyenne. The two loved to tousle and play together. They lived a few happy years as pack-mates until a disagreement over a bone caused us to separate them. In his later years, Loci was reunited with Yellow Feather, whom he had lived with as part of the larger pack when he was young. The two rekindled their companionship and spent the past few years happily together. He would happily prance over with a smile whenever she would approach and paw and tease her into playing with him. Yellow Feather will deeply miss her spirited friend, as will we.

On the morning of April 26, Loci was not his usual self and appeared to be having difficulty moving around much. We contacted the vet due to his severe mobility issues however he passed away naturally just before they arrived. Our hearts are broken as we mourn his passing. Losing him this suddenly is truly heartbreaking. We take comfort in knowing that he lived a good long life here and at the end he was at peace in his home with Yellow Feather and left us on his own terms.

Farewell Loci, we will greatly miss your bright and joyful spirit and your enduring friendship. Your pure and loving soul will forever be in our hearts.

IN LOVING MEMORY LOCI OF SPEEDWELL
Born March 21, 2011, Rescued August 2011, Died April 26, 2024